When children are first learning how to count or perform basic mathematical operations, they often have trouble visualizing what they're actually doing. Many children simply memorize answers to specific problems, rather than understanding the basic principle. To show children how numbers work in the real world, give them all a pile of Skittles and let them use the candies to represent numbers in a problem. For example, if you ask them to add four and three, have them make a pile of three and a pile of four, combine them, and count the total number of pieces. You can also use Skittles as rewards, too. Write a few problems on the board, and ask the class to solve them in the next five minutes. Give each child a Skittle for every correct answer.
Ratios and fractions aren't always immediately clear, but if you use a visualization, they become much easier. Give each student a fun-sized bag of Skittles, and ask them to determine the ratio of each color of Skittle to the whole bag. Tell them to write it as a ratio, a fraction and a percentage, if they know how. For younger students, use Skittles to demonstrate the idea of ratios or fractions when you are first introducing the concepts.
Though estimation is not generally a predominant focus of math classes, it is a valuable, practical skill for the real world. To hone the estimation skills of your students, give them different sizes of Skittle bags and ask them to guess how many are in each bag without touching them. Then ask them to weigh one Skittle on a balance (or weigh several and divide by that number) and extrapolate how much they think a Skittles bag should weigh. Have them weigh the Skittles bag, and ask them to divide that weight by the weight of a single Skittle to determine approximately how many are in the bag. You can also fill a giant jar with Skittles and ask students to guess how many there are, giving the jar as a prize to the student who guesses closest.
Students can begin learning how to graph mathematical formulas and information using Skittles as their "data." Give each student a bag of Skittles, and ask them to count how many of each color their bags contain. Ask students to create at least two graphs demonstrating this data, such as a pie chart and a bar graph. Then ask the class to share their data and tally up how many of each color the entire class has. Have students create graphs of this data and compare these graphs to the graphs they made for their bag.